Copenhagen: Woodah Hostel

It’s 17:00, Maia is downstairs having pasta with her Grandma. I decided I would either tidy the toys up in her room or post something on this blog of mine. A blog that’s been ever so neglected recently…The toys can wait.

Neglected, yes, but for good reason. After a crazy few months, I now find myself with some time to breathe a little. A moment of calm, and well, reflection. I’ve just recently smashed through one of my goals for 2018, I’m not going to share all the details of said goal, but I will say that it took a lot of work, and I am f****** proud of myself. I had plenty of guidance and support, and I have a lot of people to thank, but ultimately, the decision to pursue said goal was mine, and for that, I am patting myself on the back big-time because it was the best thing I could have done.

As well as feeling like a SuperWoman-Badass-Mummy-Unicorn, – if ever such a woman existed, which they do, I see them every day – I also feel drained. I put a lot of my time, energy and self into said goal and I’m thrilled with what I’ve achieved, but I’m now left feeling both uncertain and a little lost. What next? My brain immediately jumps to the 101 other things I want to do with my life. I am constantly having to remind myself to slow down, to take one thing at a time. It get’s a little exhausting, this thinking business, and that’s before all the actual work. So for now, before writing an entire essay on uncertainty I will leave you with something I am certain of; my love of travel. So here’s a snippet from my November 2017 two night stay at Woodah Hostel in Copenhagen.

Extract from an Instagram post I wrote after a night at the hostel. I was cranky, frustrated and sleep-deprived and, not normally being one to use social media to vent, I decided on this particular occasion to do just that:

“Word to the wise: if you ever find yourself booking a hostel be sure to pack a pair of earplugs, for you may encounter a SNORER in your dorm, and unless you’re ballsy enough to wake the offender and confront the issue head on, you will be in for a long night. (Unless relentless snoring doesn’t affect you, in which case, bravo to you..) Unaware of hostel-snoring-etiquette – I was recently informed by hostel staff that I can absolutely WAKE the snorer and tell him/her to roll on their side – I simply stayed up. All night. Taking breaks in the communal area where I eventually fell asleep on a bench at 4am. (No amount of music, captivating reading or deep breathing could drown out the thunderous roar of this person’s vibrating nostrils, which could be heard down the hall…) It was a long and infuriating night. I got pretty worked up and slammed the dorm door a few times on my way in/out in an attempt to wake the snorer and his fellow less-audible-but-still-loud snorer friends…There were 3 in total. This I understand was reactive, unhelpful and childish but with everyone else either asleep or closer to it than me, I had nowhere to vent my rage. A rage which probably didn’t aid the getting-to-sleep process. I even looked in other dorms for spare beds. No such luck. *Plus side I did get through most of Lena Dunham’s” Not That Kind Of Girl” so time was not wasted… So, when it came to exploring Copenhagen today, I really had no plans other than get through the day, try not to lose my shit or fall asleep in public. No maps, no must-see monuments, not even a museum; just me and… the streets. It was brill. #rantover #itsmoreofawarning #wakethesnorer •

The inevitable snorers aside, it was a brilliant hostel. I couldn’t really have asked for more. With it’s quirky aesthetics and rather immaculate bathroom, it had a chilled and friendly atmosphere; I made some friends and felt very comfortable there. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to visit Copenhagen on a budget.